Brassiere



A. LICHT ,BRASSIERE Aug. 7, 1 945.

Filed Sept. 21, 1943 INVENTOR Anna Lah M ATTORNEYS Patented Aug, 7, 1945 UNlTED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE 2,380.978= BRASSIRE Anna Licht, New York, N. Y.

Application september 21, 1943, Serial No. 50:5,181

13 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) In the accompanying drawing in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the garment as wom,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view thereof on a larger scale with only part of the brace attached,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the attachment unit,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view scale taken on line l-l of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a frag'mentary view of the wire brace with one face of the sheath removed.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view On a larger: 80

perspective, 2'

Scale taken on line 'I-'I of Fig. 2 and showing a fragment of the attached brace in and Fig. 8 is a ragmentary perspective view partly in section of an alternative form of brace.:

Referring now to the drawing, the conventional cup-type brassiere illustratively shown includes a pair of fabric pieces lo plaited as at 'll to afi'ord the desired cup concavity. In the conventional garment the bras'siere extends about the body. lateral straps l2 connected to the cups at IS being releasably connected in any desired manner (not shown) at the back of the wearer. In addition, the conventional brassiere has shoulder straps M connecting the upper or peaked portions' l of the cups to the free rear ends (not shown) of the straps 2. The cups in the conventional construction are attached together by any'of a wide variety' of connectors. j

According to the present invention the lower rim of each cup has an arcuate, preferably" a generally semi-circular brace B attached thereto, and said braces are desirably directly connected together at their adjacent ends by a short elastic strap S which also serves as the connector between the two cups.

Preferably, the twoarc'uate braces B and their connecting e'lastic strap S are preassembled as a unit and attached as such to the brassiere cups to serve as the brace therefor and the connector therebetween. Preferably, also, the arcuate brace is so formed as to afford oonvenience for guiding a line of stitching along and through the same.

In one preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 each brace is made of a pair of stiffeners, preferably adjacent wire lengths IS and I'I enclosed in a fabric sheath la which completely houses their lengths as well as their ends. That sheath may be made of a piece of fabric stitched together at one face as at IS. As shown in Fig.

6 the brace is desirably made of a single length on a larger of wire reversely bent to form hairpin turns at the opposite ends of the brace, the abutting extremities of the wire being soldered, bra zed or welded together as at 3l. The rounded hairpin turns afford a brace with smooth rounded ends, and the continuous loop of metal is of arcuate form and its two wire lengths lie in a common plane with the convexity of the inner length nested and slightly spaced from the concavity of the outer length.

The sheath in each embodiment would, of course, be made of color and fabric corresponding to that of the brassiere itself or contrasting therewith according to any desired color scheme or design. The conneoting elastic strap S is desirably reversely bent at its ends 20 .and stitched to the braces by a line of stitching 2| extending through the fabric sheath |8 and indenting the same between the wires as shown at 22.

It will be obvious that the unit shown in Fig.

3 can be conveniently attached to form the border of or to frame the lower rim of the brassiere cups by a median line of longitudinal stitching-as at 23. As best shown in Fig. 7 the line of machine or hand stitching is guided bythe wire lengths IS and to run through the sheath |8 midway therebetween. and to conform to the concavity between said wires.

Whilethe brassiere may be ma'de and marketed by the manufacturer as above disclosed, one important application of the invention is to market the brace and elastic connector unit shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 as a bra'ssire attachment for application to the conventional unbraced brassiere by the ultimate consumer. Three sizes of such brassire attachment, large, medium and small are suflicient for fittin'g' all but exceptional wearers. The connection between the two cups might be readily cut off by the wearer as might also, if desired, any excess material beyond or below the cups'of the brassiere, as usually made. The unit shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 could then readily be stitched in place about the outer face of the lower rim of the respective cups lll by hand or by machine to complete the assembly. Prior to such stitching operation, the wearer might put on the brassiere and draw the bust line thereon with a pencil and the curvature of the braces might readily be conformed to said pencil lines in order to provide a garment that compares favorabiy with a costly custom-made and fltted brassiere.

In use, the arcuate braces rest comfortably and snugly against the thorax, immediately below the breasts and are yieldingly held in place by the connecting elastic strap S. The cups lo are therefore adequately braced to support, while conforming to the natural rotundity of the breasts, without pressure or discomfort.

The elastic connecting strap S yields readily to Stretching movement and to chest expansion of the wearer without the least binding or discomfort.

In the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. 8 the encased metal brace is replaced by one of suitable plastic which may be made in any desired color and so requires nocoverlng. The plastic strip B' comprises a rounded rim ,extending the entire length of the inner or concave edge 25, and the outer or convex edge 26 as well as the ends 21. The rounded rim encompasses a unitary central web 28 the length of which has small perforations 29 therethrough along its middle, which serve for stitching thereto the elastic connecting strap S' and for stitching the brace in place to frame the lower rim of the cup. obviously, the plastic brace B' might be made of suitable color to match Or contrast withthat of the garment or, alternatively. it might be made of transparent or translucent plastic such as "Lucite" which aifords a particularly attractive effect by exposing to view the color and design of the underlying fabric.

Like the companion form, the present embodiment may be built into the garment as sold. or it may be applied by the ultimate consumer as a separate attachment and may be conformed to the bust line in the manner abovedescribed.

As many changes could be made in the above article and many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in t e above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a, limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I the braces to irame the lower rim of each of the cups.

3. A brassiere of the cup-type, comprising arcuate fabric-sheathed braces, each of said braces comprising a pair of adjacent curved wires, stitching through the fabric sheath and between the wires of each brace and connecting the braces to the lower rims of the respective cups and a rubber elastic strap intervening between the two sheathed braces and stitched thereto at its ends.

4. A brassiere of the cup type having braces arcuate in form framing the lower rim of each cup and directly secured thereto for substantially the whole length of said braces and a strap arranged between and directly connecting substantially parallel parts of the inner end portions of said braces. v

5. A brassiere, comprising brassiere cups uncovered plastic braces arcuate in form, each of said braces having transverse apertures and being stitched through said apertures and cups, to frame the outer surface of the lower rim of each Of said cups, and a strap intervening between and secured at its ends to said plastic braces.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 in which each plastic brace includes a rounded rim and a flat portion with the transverse perforations.

7. As an article of manufacture, an attachment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said attachment comprising a pair of arcuate stffening braces adapted to overlie the lower rim i of the respective' cups, said braces being conattachment comprising an arcuate brace. a fabclaim as new and desire to secure* by Letters tending .between said stifleners and' connecting ric sheath therefor, said brace being arranged to afl'ord a relatively unobstructed median stitching passage therethrough along the length thereof for facility of attachment to the lower rim of a brassiere cup.

9. As an article o'f manufacture, an attachment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said attachment comprising a pau-,of generally semicircular fabric-sheathed' braces, said braces being arranged to afford a relatively unobstructed median stitching passage therethrough along the length thereof for facility of attachment to 'the lower rim of brassiere cups. and a short' rubber elastic strap stitched at its ends to near the inner ends of the respective braces.

10. As an .article of manufacture. an attachment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said unit comprising'a pair of braces, each of said braces comprising a pair of. adjacent generally semicircular wires and a fabric sheath for each oi' said pairs of wires completely encasing the same, whereby the wires of each' brace afford a guide passage therebetween through the Iabric sheath for convenience in stitching the same to the lower rims of the cups of a brassiere, and an elastic connecting strap stitched at its ends to the fabric sheaths by a line of stitchingtherethrough between the component wires of each brace.

' 11. As an article of manuiacture, an attachment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said unit including a brace comprising a length of wire having hairpin turns at its opposite ends, having its extremities abutting and secured together in length of both the convex and the concave edge as well as along the ends thereof, and having a flat web encompassed by said rim, said web having transverse perforations therethrough for facility of stitching.

13. As an article of manufacture, an attachment assembly for -a conventional cup brassire, said assembly comprising two uncovered plastic members of the construction recited in claim 12, and a short elastic strap stitched at its ends to portions near the ends of the respective braces.

ANNA LICHT. 

